PLC Computer Skills: Searching the Internet Name:

Task1: Part One

How fast can you find the following [copy the address & include the number it is on the search list in
Google]?

1. Explanation of Pythagoras’ theorem Time (min)

address Search order

number (from top)

2. What is President George Bush’s favourite movie Time (min)

address Search order

number

3. How many times does the word Australia appear on the Wikipedia page for the year 1900?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900 Summarise from this page what happened in January in Australia

4. What features does the world’s most expensive mobile phone have [and for how much]?

URL:

6. How many hits does each search engine provide for a search on China [the country]

Google:

Yahoo:

How can you narrow the search to increase the value of the hits?

1
 Advice
• Use “ “ [double quotations] and + when searching for phrases eg “Will
Smith” +actor
• Use Google scholar for educational searches eg “Pythagoras’ theorem”
• Use different search engines for particular types of searches
eg use Yahoo for lists such as
favourite movies
• Use APPLE-F to find particular text on a page [and APPLE-G] to go to the
next instance
• Use Google’s advanced search to narrow searches
eg for last three months postings

NOTE: Different searches can throw up different answers for the same question.
So never accept the answer from the web without checking other sources.
Now try again in Part 2 [can you do it quicker and more accurately?]

Task One: Part 2

How fast can you find the following [copy the address & include the number it is on the search list in
Google]?

1. Explanation of Archimedes’ Principle Time (min)

address Search order

number

3. How many times does the word Australia appear on the Wikipedia page for the year 1956?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19056. Summarise from this page what happened in January in Australia

5. What are the secret herbs and spices in KFC?

URL:

Research Tips
 Use advanced features on search engines
 Narrow search to local content, if suitable
 Use more than one search engine and compare results
 Use specialist resource sites to research a topic area
 Use libraries and museum sites for reliable information
 Use government, public broadcasting and university websites for authoritative information
 Use reference sites such as Wikipedia as a starting point for research only, not as a definitive
reference

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Further Reading

Depending on the value of the information you are seeking the amount of time you should be prepared to
spend will vary. But any searching that takes more than 10 – 15 minutes is usually into wasting. In addition,
going past the first 5 screens [ie 100 listed pages] will not usually produce pages of value. Better to narrow
the search.

Some general tips

a. Using URL addresses found in other materials, such as magazines, can lead to a good site directly
b. Copying URLs for web pages is a quick way of going directly to a site of interest
c. Using good old fashion knowledge can also help narrow your search.

Searching Tips

1. Target your search

Most searches give too many results, not too few.
To pinpoint what you want write a search query that looks for a precise target. -
Eg: Looking for information using the search word Poseidon will give pages devoted to the god of
the sea as well as the movie, The Poseidon Adventure. Using Poseidon –movie will narrow the focus
to the Greek God.

2. Narrow search by adding information that pinpoints what you are after
eg: If searching for information of cells for Biology, Rather than just entering cells, enter cells
+mitochondria

3. Include quotation marks

If your search term is a phrase put it in quotes
eg: “Milky Way”, “to be or not to be”

4. Use wildcards
A wildcard is a symbol –usually * - that stands in for words or partial words you don’t know
eg: “Mary had a little *”

5. Ask an answer
When search for an answer frame the search as an answer to a question
eg: If question is What is the colour of Bad Pitt’s hair” frame search as “Bad Pitt’s hair is *”

6. Try an advanced search

Almost all search engines have a form for running an advanced search

Common Choices Google’s advanced search feature

- date ranges (for filtering out stale news)
- domains (to narrow searches to say non-
profit companies)
- languages (eg French)
- file formats (eg pdf)

Find Results can be used to limit search

Eg if searching for China (the country) you
might want to exclude “plate”

7. Doing the time warp

Use the GO menu [including GO > History] to visit sites you have visited recently [usually over the
3
 past week]

8. Use Tabs to view multiple pages

In FIREFOX or Safari use FILE > New tab to set up a new window for multiple pages

Other tips

9. You can use CTRL= (WIN) or COMMAND= (MAC) to increase the font size on pages with small font
sizes

10. Bookmarking is used to retain links to pages fro future reference

Use BOOKMARK > Bookmark this page (Firefox) to add to the list at the bottom of the
BOOKMARKS menu.
You can organise bookmarks by choosing BOOKMARKS > Organise Bookmarks (Firefox) to
access the Bookmarks Manager

Evaluating web sites

Just because you find a site that looks all right doesn’t mean it contains worthwhile information.
The web is full of web sites designed to mislead, mis-inform or provide a biased view.

When judging a site you must ask the following questions to decide if it is worthwhile to use information from
the site.

Is it somebody's personal page?
Read the URL* carefully:
• Look for a personal name (e.g., jbarker or barker) following
a tilde ( ~ ), a percent sign ( % ), or or the words "users,"
"members," or "people."
• Is the server a commercial ISP* or other provider mostly of
web page hosting (like aol.com or geocities.com
What type of domain does it come from ?
(educational, nonprofit, commercial, government, etc.)
• Is the domain appropriate for the content?
- Government sites: look for .gov, .mil, .us, or other country
code
- Educational sites: look for .edu
- Nonprofit organizations: look for .org
• If from a foreign country, look at the country code and read
the page to be sure who published it.
Who "published" the page?
• In general, the publisher is the agency or person operating
the "server" computer from which the document is issued.
- The server is usually named in first portion of the URL
(between http:// and the first /)
• Have you heard of this before?
• Does it correspond the name of the site? Should it?
Who wrote the page?
• Look for the name of the author, or the name of the
organization, institution, agency, or whatever who is
responsible for the page
• If there is no personal author, look for an agency or
organization that claims responsibility for the page.
If you cannot find this, locate the publisher by truncating
back the URL (see technique above).
Is the page dated? Is it current enough?
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Personal pages are not necessarily "bad," but you
need to investigate the author very carefully.
For personal pages, there is no publisher or domain
owner vouching for the information in the page.
Look for a appropriateness, fit. What kind of
information source do you think is most reliable for
your topic?
You can rely more on information that is published by
the source:
• For example - Look for New York Times
news from www.nytimes.com
Web pages are all created with a purpose in mind by
some person or agency. They do not simply "grow"
on the web
You are looking for someone who claims
accountability and responsibility for the
content.
An e-mail address with no additional information
about the author is not sufficient for assessing the
author's credentials.
How recent the date needs to be depends on your
• Is it "stale" or "dusty" information on a time-sensitive or
evolving topic?
• CAUTION: Undated factual or statistical information is no
better than anonymous information. Don't use it.
• If no updating for over 18 months treat with caution [it is
sometimes called “cobwebbed” information
What are the author's credentials on this subject?
• Might the page be by a hobbyist, self-proclaimed
expert, or enthusiast?
- Is the page merely an opinion? Is there any reason
you should believe its content more than any other
page?
- Is the page a rant, an extreme view, possibly
distorted or exaggerated?
• If you cannot find strong, relevant credentials, look
very closely at documentation of sources (next
section).
Are sources documented with footnotes or links?
• Where did the author get the information?
• If there are links to other pages as sources, are they
to reliable sources?
• Do the links work?
If reproduced information (from another source), is it
complete, not altered, not fake or forged?
• Is it retyped? If so, it could easily be altered.
• Is it reproduced from another publication?
• Are permissions to reproduce and copyright
information provided?
• Is there a reason there are not links to the original
source if it is online (instead of reproducing it)?
Are there links to other resources on the topic?
• Are the links well chosen, well organized, and/or
evaluated/annotated?
• Do the links work?
• Do the links represent other viewpoints?
• Do the links (or absence of other viewpoints) indicate
a bias?
Why was the page put on the web?
• Inform, give facts, give data?
• Explain, persuade?
• Sell, entice?
• Share?
• Disclose?
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needs.
For some topics you want current information.
For others, you want information put on the web near
the time it became known.
In some cases, the importance of the date is to tell
you whether the page author is still maintaining an
interest in the page, or has abandoned it.
Anyone can put anything on the web for pennies
in just a few minutes. Your task is to distinguish
between the reliable and questionable.
Many web pages are opinion pieces
offered in a vast public forum.
You should hold the author to the same degree
of credentials, authority, and documentation that
you would expect from something published in a
reputable print resource (book, journal article,
good newspaper).
Saying what you believe without documentation
is not much better than just expressing an
opinion or a point of view.
An exception can be journalism from highly
reputable newspapers. Check with your teacher
before using this type of material.
You may have to find the original to be sure a
copy of something is not altered and is
complete.
Look at the URL: is it from the original
source?
If you find a legitimate article from a reputable
journal or other publication, it should be
accompanied by the copyright statement and/or
permission to reprint. If it is not, be suspicious.
Many well developed pages offer links to other
pages on the same topic that they consider
worthwhile.
Links that offer opposing viewpoints as well as
their own are more likely to be balanced and
unbiased.
Always look for bias. Especially when you agree
with something, check for bias.
These are some of the reasons to think of. The
web is a public place, open to all. You need to
be aware of the entire range of human
possibilities of intentions behind web pages.
Types of search engines

There are basically three types of search engines: Those that are powered by robots (called crawlers, ants
or spiders) and those that are powered by human submissions; and those that are a hybrid of the two.

Crawler-based search engines use automated software programs to survey and categorise web pages.
The programs used by the search engines to access your web pages are called ‘spiders’, ‘crawlers’, ‘robots’
or ‘bots’. Crawler-based search engines are constantly searching the Internet for new web pages and
updating their database of information with these new or altered pages.

Examples of crawler-based search engines are: Ask Jeeves (www.ask.com)

A ‘directory’ uses human editors who decide what category the site belongs to; they place websites within
specific categories in the ‘directories’ database. The human editors comprehensively check the website and
rank it, based on the information they find, using a pre-defined set of rules.

The biggest directory was * Yahoo Directory (www.yahoo.com)

Note: Since late 2002 Yahoo has provided search results using crawler-based technology as well as its own
directory.

Hybrid search engines use a combination of both crawler-based results and directory results. More and
more search engines these days are moving to a hybrid-based model.

Examples of hybrid search engines are: * Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) * Google (www.google.com)

Meta search engines take the results from all the other search engines results, and combine them into one
large listing.

Examples of Meta search engines include: * Metacrawler (www.metacrawler.com)

* Dogpile (www.dogpile.com)

Specialty search engines have been developed to cater for the demands of niche areas.
There are many specialty search engines, including: * Froogle (www.froogle.com) (for shopping)
* http://home.about.com/
* http://infomine.ucr.edu/

The Five-Step Search Strategy

Step #1. Analyze your topic to decide where to begin and select appropriate search keywords
Ask yourself, are there have distinctive words or phrases?
can I specify a narrow aspect of a broad or common topic ?
Are there synonymous, equivalent terms, or variant spellings or endings that need to
be included?

Step #2. Pick the right starting place using this table:
Step #3. Learn as you go & VARY your approach with what you learn.
Step #4. Don't bog down in any strategy that doesn't work.
Step #5. Return to previous strategies better informed.